The Duck with the Human Soul
by TheRookieKing412
Summary: "Once upon a time, there was a duck with a soul. . .She wanted love, she wanted to talk and voice her opinions, she wanted to sing and paint and dance. . . one day. . .a man appeared on the bank of the pond. . ."Don't be afraid, little duck! I can make all your dreams come true!""


**~~~~Author's Note~~~** Hello, this is a short, little, fairy tale-esque story that I wrote a few nights ago and decided to put it up! To anyone who reads this and is reading my other Fanfic, _Ein Marchen,_ I'm really sorry about the delay and don't worry, I did not forget about it!

Once upon a time, there was a duck with a soul. It was an accident, really. For you see, when the soul was released from its body it flew into an unhatched duck egg and was trapped inside our duck. This, however, did not bode well for her, for you see, the duck was lost among her flock. She saw with the eyes of a human, she thought with the mind of one and she hoped with the heart one, which outcasted her among the other ducks, who did not understand her longings. She wanted love, she wanted to talk and voice her opinions, she wanted to sing and paint and dance. But she couldn't. And each day saddened her for each day she had to go on without those desires granted. But still, she had hope.

One day, the duck's flock migrated to a lake just outside a small but beautiful kingdom. In the kingdom, a prince, his princess, and his knight lived. The prince ruled with love and kindness, his people loved him dearly and he loved them. The princess was a beautiful maiden who loved the prince with all her heart and would do anything for him. And the knight was a strong man who used his sword to protect the ones he loved and the keep his kingdom safe, all the while keeping a talent hidden from everyone, even his prince. Everyday the three went to a small pond outside of their castle where they could dance without an audience. And for a time, they were free from the weight of ruling and protecting a kingdom, at least, until they had to return to the castle.

The little duck, feeling lonely in an entire flock of birds, flew down into a pond outside of the castle where she could be by herself. She flew into a stock of cattails, where she wouldn't float away, and fell asleep, flying took so much time and energy it always left her exhausted. The next morning however, before the sun could even rise, she was awoken by the sound of footsteps on leaves and twigs. The duck left her temporary home of cattails and looked as she saw three people through the morning mist begin to dance alongside the bank of the pond. The duck watched mesmerized as she as she saw them perform a kind of dance she had never seen before! It was beautiful, and distracting enough so that when her chest hit the bank of the pond she had not noticed she drifted over until one of the dancers noticed her.

The duck's sudden appearance had called attention to the knight, who had taken a moment to himself to drink water, and he looked down at her with deep green eyes, eyes that she had never seen before, eyes like hers. Human. She quaked lightly when he smiled down at her and gave her a greeting.

"Hello little duck." He said, "Why are you alone? Where is your flock?"

The duck knew that he didn't know or expected her to answer, but she lifted her wing and pointed to where the lake was, where her family, if she could even consider them so, was.

The knight seemed taken back, had that duck truly understood him? "You can understand me then?" The little duck nodded, such a strange little duck was she, to be able to understand people as she could, "Wow, I don't think I've ever seen an animal as smart as you." That made her quack in surprise. Smart? Her? How could she be smart when she couldn't even function as a proper duck?

B-but this human, this _person_ , seemed to think otherwise. The knight continued to speak to her until the sun rose. He told her his duties as a knight, his friendship with the prince, and maybe would have said more, but the prince called him and he rose from his spot on the pond bank as he returned to the castle, promising her that he would return. The princess seemed to taunt him for doing so but he gave her a quick retort, something about crows, and she turned her nose up at him and hurried over to her prince.

The duck smiled as they left and returned to her home where she began to make a suitable nest for herself. For the day she swam, and ate and built, doing what normal ducks would do with their time, however, unlike normal ducks, she thought about the knight, his kind smile and warm eyes. Smart. That was what he called her, and perhaps he was right, but as she continued to think and hope and remember she remembered that she was a simple duck, and as she looked at messy nest that was not built properly, a duck who could not even do what other ducks could do. She sighed as she climbed into the nest, which poked her as she sat, and tried to fall asleep, and while the nest was imperfect, the duck decide it was like her, and was able to fall asleep knowing that imperfect things exist.

The next morning, she had almost forgotten about her friend the knight as she woke up still half in her dream until she saw him dancing by the pond side. She smiled at him, transfixed by how he moved, but the fog had returned, forcing her to step out of her nest so that she could see him clearly. It wasn't until she had bumped into the bank again that he noticed her.

He smiled, "I have something for you." With that he bent down and pulled a piece of bread, a roll, out of his pocket and presented it to her. She was hesitant at first, to which he laughed at, "It's not poisoned!" The duck climbed out of the water and pecked at the bread still in his hand, perhaps he did not want to give her dirty beard since he saw her as smart, and she silently thanked him, she had always hated the slight taste of mud on her food. This time, however, the prince and the princess noticed her presence as well and came to where the knight was.

"So is this the duck you were talking about?" The princess asked, looking down at the little bird with a small frown.

"Yes, and she can understand me!" The knight smiled brightly at the princess.

The princess laughed, "Ducks can't understand us!"

"This one can!" The knight glared icily at the princess and she returned it, but the prince smiled kindly down at the duck.

"Where are you from, little duck?" The prince asked, more than likely to humor his knight but was shocked when she pointed north with her wing. The action called attention to the princess and her jaw dropped as she regarded the duck.

"S-she can understand us!" The princess looked down at the duck.

"I told you." The knight said looking smug, "Ask her something."

"Why are you alone?" Was the first thing that came to the princess's mind and the duck had to think of how she would respond. _I'm different._ She thought, but how would she convey that? Oh! She knew how. Using her wing, she pointed at the lake and shook her head before walking back into the water and swimming around like a duck would before going back to shore, pointing to herself and shaking her head.

The three stared at her before the knight spoke, "So, you're not like the other ducks?" She nodded.

"The other ducks?" The princess put her hands on her hips as she gave him a scowl, "How did you get 'other ducks' out of that?"

"Because the other ducks are at the lake, she motioned to them yesterday and did the same today."

"So you are different then?" The prince asked and the duck bowed her head and nodded sullenly, "Do not be ashamed, you are so talented, I've never seen a duck act this way! I've never seen an animal act this way! No matter how smart they are said to be!" Smart, there was that word again, but how could she be smart?

"Truly I have never seen an animal as brilliant as you." The princess agreed and smiled at the little duck, who blushed at the notion. Well, as much as a duck could blush anyway.

The next day, all three brought food for her, the knight once again brought bread, the prince bought seed, and the princess brought some kind of red fruit the duck had never seen before. She smiled appreciatively and watched them dance. For a week, maybe more, the three would come, the handsome prince with his pale hair, the princess with her graceful movements, and the knight with his green eyes. They talked to her, danced for her, feed her and, to her, they became her dearest friends, people who could understand her, even if she couldn't properly speak to them.

One day, the princess took up the whole morning talking to the little duck about the upcoming ball.

"Oh it will be beautiful!" She proclaimed, "Everyone in beautiful dresses dancing the night away! There'll be food, and music, and the laughter of people! Oh, I wish you could come, little duck." The duck nodded in agreement before twirling around on the bank, making the princess laugh, "Yes, duck, just like that!" The princess described her beautiful dress, and asked the duck if it would be better if she wore her hair up or down, and told her about the famous musician they had hired for the ball. And oh it was all there! Everything the little duck had ever wanted! All within her reach! But only if she had the fingers to grasp it. Fingers instead of wings. Toes instead of webbed feet.

But she didn't have any of that. She couldn't dance with the prince, or the knight, or the princess. She couldn't even dance by herself. _How pitiful_ , she thought, _A duck that wants to dance._ She chuckled, as much as a duck can chuckle, under her breath but kept herself up so that the princess wouldn't worry about her, but when the princess left the duck was able to mope in the pond as she idly swam with no purpose in her heart. For a day, she swam with no intention and when night fell she looked up at the ever overcast sky. _I,_ she began to think, her head bowed to the water, _I wish_ I _could be human and dance with the knight,_ she thought about his kind eyes, to dance with him would be _wonderful_.

 _Ah, be careful with what you wish for!_ A voice that was not her own spoke in her mind. _What!_ The duck looked around her surroundings wildly, hoping to find the man who spoke into her head. Suddenly, a man appeared on the bank of the pond and the duck swam towards him, he girned menacingly at her as he swung a watch by his side.

He chuckled darkly, "Don't be afraid, little duck! I can make all your dreams come true!" The little duck let out a quack in surprise! H-how could he possibly know her wishes? "I know _everything_ about you, little duck, how you're different from the others, how you have a human soul living inside you when it shouldn't! Yes, duck! I know!" He laughed as she quacked again, "I can turn you into a girl for three days! Then, you can do all as you wish and even dance with your little friends!"

 _But why?_ She thought as she quacked.

"Why? Because it would be fun!" The watch, however, began to glow before it turned into a red pendant, "This pendant will allow you to transform into a girl and on the third day, at midnight, it will go back to being a pocket watch and will return to me." The man let the pendant go and it floated to her from across the lake. _Do I really want this?_ she asked herself as the pendant fitted itself around her neck, _Yes._ The duck thought as she transformed into a girl. However, the transformation was excruciatingly painful! It felt as though each feather was being plucked from her skin one by one! Her wings and legs were stretched and she felt the sudden growth of each bone! She felt teeth burst out of the skin in her mouth, she felt her beak pinch as it shrunk! And she almost drowned when it was all complete for she did not know how to use human legs and arms. The duck has able to find the shore somehow and took in a deep, clean breath of fresh air and began to shiver.

The man laughing cruelly from nowherewere the last sounds she heard as she fell from consciousness.

The next morning, she heard the yells of the knight, she opened her eyes and only saw him in a blurry haze. She mumbled his name but find that she did not quack but rather spoke. Confused she tried to sit up but someone told her not to and forced her back down. The shouts of the knight quieted and she realized that he wasn't yelling at all but rather asking her lowly if she was alright. She said, "Yes" and was once again shocked that she could speak, actually speak! She didn't quack anymore! So then what happened last night wasn't a dream? She raised a wing to her face and was delighted that what she saw where fingers!

Suddenly, her vision wasn't blurred and she sat up to look at her hand in amazement. However, the knight didn't seem to like that, "Don't sit up!" He yelled, covering his eyes, and when the duck looked down she saw that she was covered in what looked to be a cape that had fallen in her lap, it must have covered her chest as well when she was lying down.

"Don't yell at her!" The princess scolded before turning to the duck, "I'm sorry about him, are you alright? How did you get here?"

"You mean you don't- "The duck stopped herself, of course the princess wouldn't recognize her, she was used to the bird, not the girl, "I- I'm not sure." She said as the princess grabbed the cape and placed it on her chest again, tucking it under her arms so it would stay.

"Why are you covered in bruises?" The princess asked next.

"What bru-?" The duck stopped as she looked down at her own arms which were covered in bruises, and recalled the painful transformation that man made her undergo. "I-I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" The knight asked, surprisingly gruff.

"I-I don't!" She defended herself and looked down at the cape. Why was he being so mean? He had been nice to her before, when she was a duck.

"Stop it! If she doesn't know, she doesn't know!" The princess scowled at him before turning to the prince, "Would you be so kind as to have maid prepare a room for her and call a doctor."

"Yes, my princess." The prince said before smiling down at the duck, "We'll have you better and ready to go home in no time!" He kissed the princess on her head as he walked back up to the palace.

"Speaking of home," The knight said, "Who is your family?"

"Yes, who are they?" The princess asked.

"M-my family?" The duck thought of her flock, the duck she saw when she hatched and imprinted on, but they didn't love her, they weren't her real family, in fact she found herself at home here, with the prince, his princess and the knight. If anything, they were more like a family to her than her real mother, "I don't have one." The duck replied.

"Oh what a shame." The princess looked down at the duck sadly, "Well, you can live with us at the castle until you feel you can live on your own, alright?"

The duck nodded, knowing that once her three days were over, she would return to being a duck and she could never talked with her friends like this again. She smiled lightly, if this was the only time she was allowed with them, than she would not waste that time.

"Can you walk?" The princess asked before helping her to stand, she wrapped the cape more securely around her and so that it covered her more before letting her go. And the duck fell.

The knight however, was able to catch her before she hit the ground and she was able to once more look up into his eyes, such beautiful eyes. He stared into hers as well and for a moment seemed confused, he looked out over the pond, in search of something before returning to look at her. The knight carried her to the castle where they meet the prince at the back door so that he could lead them to the room that was prepared for her. And it was beautiful.

The room was covered in white, white bed sheets, white curtains, white floors. The bed was huge, so much bigger than her nest, and it could fit three of her! A white canopy draped over the bed but was tied back. There were white wooden dressers, as well, and large windows that displayed the forest that surrounded the kingdom. It was wonderful and better than any nest she could make herself.

The knight placed her down on the bed and the healer that the prince called came to her side and pushed the knight out of the way. He seemed upset about that but didn't argue with the older man as he removed the cape and began to examine the duck's body. The healer began to speak in a language that she had never heard before as his hands began to glow, she was shocked that he could perform magic, she had thought that humans using magic was just a myth, but was even more shocked as he put his hands on her wounds and felt the bruises heal. It felt nice and much more pleasant than her transformation.

She almost fell asleep it felt so pleasant, but the healer's voice woke her up again when he announced he had finished. He covered her back up with the cape and left the room. She sat up, mindful of the cape this time by keeping a hand on it, as she looked for her friends, she smiled and let out a sigh of relief when she saw that all three stood by the door, she was saddened, however, when the prince and knight left to return to their daily duties, leaving her alone with the princess.

"Here," She said, smiling kindly, "I've brought you some clothes. I thought it would be better than my prince's cape."

"Oh, uh, yes, thank you." The duck looked down at the simple dress the princess had laid down in front of her. She didn't know how to put on clothes, until now she never had to, "D-do you think you could help me?" The duck blushed as she fidgeted and played with the collar of the dress. It was yellow, like her feathers had been.

"Oh." The princess said, "I don't put my clothes on myself, but I've seen it done enough times to help you." She stepped forward and took the dress from the duck's hands, "Stand for me please?"

The duck nodded and stood for the princess. She did everything she was told to, and soon the dress has tightly laced to her body and she felt the soft fabric rub on her healed skin.

"It looks lovely on you." The princess smiled, "I wear that so rarely, why don't you keep it?"

"I can?" The duck looked up at her and the princess nodded, "Thank you!" She cried before latching her arms onto the princess as she, hesitantly, placed her own arms around the duck.

"Come on, you must be hungry." The princess smiled at the duck as she pulled away before leading her out of the room to the kitchens where food was _everywhere_. Never had she seen so much food! This place surely was magical, and as the duck raced around the room, talking with the chefs and looking at all the food, the princess gave a light chuckle, she had never seen anyone act this way before and the innocence of it all truly touched her heart. The duck had been taking with the head chef who was a beautiful woman who had sadly just lost her husband, the duck ensured her the man must have loved her dearly and that she should do what she loves. Her words touched the heart of the cook and she hugged the duck just as her stomach rumbled.

"Oh, you're hungry!" The chef smiled down at her before whipping up a wonderful meal with fruit and bread before leading her to the eating hall, where the princess followed and sat down next to the duck as she ate, and the three of them upheld a lovely conversation. The meal was interrupted however, when the knight stepped into the hall and began to walk towards them. The duck wanted to shout his name and run to him, but knew that he would find that suspicious and perhaps turn cold to her. She would not risk that chance. And so, she sat in her seat as he spoke to the princess. She was needed elsewhere, but before she left, she commanded that he stay with the duck.

"I'm the captain of the guard!" He argued, "I have duties to conduct!"

"And I, as the princess, command you to stay with our guest," The princess looked over at the duck, "I don't want her to be alone."

Grudgingly, he agreed and sat down next to her as she finished her meal. The chef took it away and felt the two, saying that she had her own duties to attend to. Instantly, the duck jumped into conversation with the knight, and even when he said nothing, she kept speaking. Soon, they left the hall and walked around the palace. She spoke and spoke and spoke as she had wanted to for so long, she laughed and ran, even though it resulted in her tripping and the knight scolding her for doing so, but she didn't care, it was all she ever wanted. Eventually, the princess came back, but the knight did not leave her side and the three spent the rest of the day together, the duck inthralled by the two, and the princess and the knight enchanted by her everlasting kindness and innocence.

When night fell, the princess gave her a nightgown to wear and helped her out of her dress. The princess began to speak about the ball, it would transpire the night after tomorrow, her last night as a human. And when the princess asked for her to attend she couldn't help nod delightedly and agree to go.

"I'll have the semester come back tomorrow and make a dress for you." The princess smiled excitedly.

"Oh, you don't have to do that!" The duck shook her head, she could go in any old thing really, as long as she got to dance. But the princess wouldn't have it.

"No. I refuse to let you go to that ball without a brand new dress!" The princess shook her head, "No friend of mine will go without wearing the absolute best."

"Friend?" The duck asked, that word sticking out to her more than any of it.

"Yes of course." the princess smiled at the duck and tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, "Oh, I wanted to tell you, I'm completely busy tomorrow, so Sir 'Captain of the Guard' will have to keep you company, is that alright?"

The duck nodded, happy to spend time with the knight, who, although had been rather mean to her when she was first human, was always kind to her, even when her own kind, the ducks, were not. The princess left the duck to sleep, telling her that she would send out a letter tonight to the semester as she bid her good night. The duck blew out the candles that lit up her room and laid down on her bed, wrapped herself in sheets, and hugged a pillow to her chest as she thought about the knight. So kind, so brave was he, with beautiful eyes that could be so soft or so sharp. Maybe- Perhaps- this was -

But the duck fell asleep, leaving the thought unfinished. The next morning, the princess had sent in a maid with a new blue dress, the maid said that the princess sent her apologies for not being able to come herself as the maid helped the duck put on her dress. When the maid left, the duck stepped out into the hallway to see the knight there, he leaned up against the wall and he looked at her softer than he had the other day as he began to lead her throughout the castle, stopping at the hall for breakfast, visiting the library where he asked her if she had ever read only books.

"No." She had said, much to his horror.

"Then you must!" The knight went to one of the tall, book covered shelves as he plucked a novel out from its place and brought it to her, "Can you read?" When she shook her head he chuckled, "Thought so." And began to read to her a magnificent tale. They were interrupted when someone yelled at them to be quite, which seemed rather contradictory, but the knight lead her away to a secret garden that only he, the prince, and the princess knew about. Inside were many flowers and a stone bench that he lead her to so that he could resume she story. Again, they were interrupted when there was a knocking at the door.

The prince stuck his head in and said, "My princess said to get you because the semester has arrived."

Excitedly, the duck grabbed the knight's hand and lead him away from the secret garden to follow the prince to the room where the semester had set up shop. In the room, thousands of different colored fabrics leaned against the walls and piled across the ground, it had looked like he had taken his whole shop with him! He was rather eccentric as he made the duck stand on a stool and measured her, he then used magic to lift the fabrics off the ground and held them up to her for examination. It seemed to take a while for the man to finally pick a color, and when he finally did, it had passed by her eyes too quickly for her to see. Excitedly, the semester collected his collection of cloth and raced back to his shop where he would finish her dress and bring it back the next day.

And that, came much sooner than she would have wished.

The duck was awoken by the princess who excited decided to help the duck get ready even when they had hours before the ball started. The princess brushed the duck's long hair before she began to pull and weave at the duck's hair, it was a rather painful process, but then again, she's been through worse. When the princess had finished she showed it to the duck and asked if she liked it. The duck nodded as she looked at the strange and pristine ridges of this hairstyle, it truly was beautiful. Then, the princess dragged the duck out to the ballroom, which was in the current stages of decoration, and the princess began to lead the duck through a simple dance.

She was horrid.

She stepped on the princess's toes, and moved too awkwardly.

"Don't look down." The princess advised, "Look at me and let me lead you through the dance." The duck nodded and kept her eyes on the princess' and then began again, "See? It's like gliding on air!"

It didn't feel like it though, the duck knew what air felt like, and this wasn't it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the knight and halted in her movements to speak to him. He smiled so gently down at her and her heart soared. They talked for a while, but soon, much too soon, the princess called the duck back to dance and the knight left, much to her disappointment. She continued to dance with the princess until she said that the duck was ready, even when she didn't feel like it. By then, her dress arrived and three maids were called to help her put it on, and even then, she didn't see it. But when the maids had finished, she walked to the mirror in her room and look at the beautiful dress.

It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. It was a pale pink had reminded her of a rose and it flowed around her like one in full bloom, layers and layers of cloth had been used on the skirt and while it felt heavy, she had never felt so light. It was tight, like the other dresses, and it's sleeves fell off her shoulders as useless decoration. She twirled and twirled in front of the mirror when the princess came back in.

The duck turned to her and smiled, "It's beautiful!" The princess nodded in agreement before patting the bed so that the duck would come sit on it next to her. As she did, she noticed the boxed that the princess held.

"These are a pair of magic shoes I conjured up. They'll fit the feet of whoever wears them." She removed the lid of the box to show off the shoes which seemed to be made of pure white silk, "I didn't know the color of your dress, I hope that you like them."

"I love them!" The duck grinned widely before hugging the princess and taking the shoes from the box and placing them on her feet. Magic swirled around them as they resized themselves to fit her feet and she found that they felt very comfortable. The princess left and told her that when the clock strikes five, the ball would begin and not to be late. The duck nodded as she kicked her feet back and forth, content with the shoes that were given to her and so very very happy about everything. The princess, the people in the castle, the prince, stories and books, dancing, and the knight, who perhaps made her happiest out of all things. The duck laid down and closed her eyes to imagine him, however, she fell asleep, and when she woke up, the bell struck five.

Worried, she went to the mirror to see if her hair was fine, and other than a few loose strays that surrounded her face, rather pleasingly, it appeared to be undamaged. She brushed away any wrinkles the dress had and ran to the door. She tripped however, and forced herself to walk all the way to the ballroom where she could hear the music play and the people dance. Oh, how late was she? Surely the walk didn't take that long! But surely it did, for when the duck got to the next window she was able to see the clock tower and was horrified that she had already wasted fifteen minutes, on her final day, too!

She found her way, and several guards, whom she had shown her kindness to, directed her to the ballroom and were even kind enough to open the doors for her.

"Thank you!" She said as she walked onto a balcony that overlooked the whole of the whole of the room. She was enchanted by it, the chandeliers shone brightly and so she didn't notice that all the people had stopped to look up at her when the doors had opened. Never before had they seen her in the village, never before had they seen a girl with as bright hair as hers, and all were spellbound to the duck as she walked down the steps to the ballroom. By now of course, she had noticed the attention she received and blushed as she didn't know what to do. Then, a hand reached out for hers, and it was the knight. Gladly, she took the final steps and took his hand as he lead her through a dance. She looked up into his eyes and followed his movements and the princess was right, it _did_ feel like she was gliding on air.

She danced with him the _whole_ night, not once leaving his arms. There, he told her the rest of the story he wasn't able to finish yesterday, he told her as if he was reading from a book and it captured her attention to the very end, where the two kissed and lived happily ever after. It was beautiful.

"How can you tell me a story so when you don't have the book in your hand to read from?" She asked.

"I've read that story so many times in my life, I must have it memorised by now, but, there is something else I wish to tell you."

"What is it?" She asked, not once tearing her gaze away from his eyes.

"I can write." Her knight said, but it didn't seem like something he would keep to himself, everyone here seemed to be able to write.

"Yes, but so can the prince and princess." She pouted at him as lead her through a dance that the princess did not teach her, but the knight knew the steps and she trusted in him not to let her fall.

He laughed, "They do, but not like I can, you see, I have this power that allows my writing to come true."

The duck looked up at him in amazement and horror, someone who could make stories happen, "How is that possible?"

"It's a kind of rare magic that I posse, I seldom use it, but when someone can't find their shoe I can write that they find it, and when the prince has a political meeting, I can write that it goes well and in his favor." He smiled down at her, happy to share with her his greatest secret, "I would never use it to harm anyone, I don't think I could live with myself if I did."

"C-can I tell you something then too?" The duck asked, ready to lay her heart bare if he said yes.

"Yes, you can always tell me anything." He smiled and her heart left her chest. Never had she felt so perfect, never had she felt so strong, and it was all because of this knight, her knight.

"I - I think I love you." She smiled up at him, but her eyes filled with tears, "A-and before you deny o-or say it back, there is something else you must know too." But before she could tell him she was really a duck, the bell chimed. Midnight. "Oh no." She looked down at her pendant, horrified that began to fade away from her neck, "I have to go!" And with that she picked up her skirts and ran.

"Wait!" He called but nothing could stop her, if everyone saw her going back to being a duck- Well, she would hope that she was fast enough.

She ran past the prince and princess, who called after her, but they could not know that she was a duck, if they did, how would they react? What if they were disgusted by her? And with that thought she ran faster to the back of the castle, to the back door she had first entered through when she came and hurried to the pond.

"Wait!" Her knight called again, and for a moment, she stopped but then the bell tolled, causing her to quack and run again. She couldn't let him see her like this! No one could ever know! No one.

With the pond in sight, her heart and soul saddened, she didn't want to go back to being a duck anymore, she wanted to be with the prince and princess, with her knight, but she couldn't because she could feel the feathers trying to break through the skin. The duck fell, maybe she tripped, she really didn't know, and on the ground she completely reverted back to being a duck.

The knight called for her, and stopped, almost horrified, as he looked down at the empty dress in the middle of the path. The duck gave a quiet quack and he dug through the dress until he found a small yellow creature with bright blue eyes that took his breath away. He called her name again and she slowly nodded.

"Y-you're a duck?" She nodded, "The one from the pond?" She nodded again, she looked up at him sadly before he pulled her into a hug, "I-I love you too." He petted her head, "And no matter what, I will make you a girl again." He pulled away and looked down at her with unshed tears, "I promise you."

She nodded and felt a tear slip down her cheek, and while the transformation had caused her pain again, nothing compared to the feeling of having your heart broken for how could he turn her back into a girl? How? The duck,a bird once more, let a single tear fall before her knight took her back to her pond, he promised he would return the next day, and everyday, until he got her back. And he did. Every day he came with a pad of paper, a quill and some ink, and everyday he sat on the shore to write her story.

 _Once upon a time. . ._

But soon the season was over and the duck would have to migrate back or fall victim to the harsh conditions of the new season. She tried to get her knight to understand but it appeared she didn't have to as her flock rose into the sky and flew off into the distance, back to where they whence came.

"You have to go back." Her knight stated as he ground his teeth together and cursed the sky, frightening her. The duck trembled in the water and her knight noticed, "I'm sorry, forgive me." He said weakly, "I- I don't think I'm powerful enough to turn you back- "

But before he could finish, the duck let out a series of loud quacks, _No! Don't doubt yourself! You can do it! I believe in you._

Her knight looked down at her in understanding, "I'm sorry once again, I'll try once more." But when he looked down at the page, he couldn't find the words to write. He glared down at the paper, as if scaring it would produce anything on the page. And he slumped back into the chair that the prince made him take and looked down at the blank page uselessly. He looked up at her sadly, but when he looked at the pond, he found she wasn't there but rather at the bank of the pond where she began to dance.

It was silly and she didn't dance well, but the duck tried her hardest to give her knight hope, inspiration, and perhaps the love she longed for him to have. For a moment, her knight watched the duck as she spun around the pond, nearly falling back into the water, and he began to write what he saw.

 _Once upon a time, there was a duck with human eyes, for three days she had turned into a beautiful human girl and was able to talk to her friends, people she had never met before, and the man she fell in love with. The days were blissful and short and soon, at midnight on the last day, she turned back into a duck. However, she still had hope and even though she was a duck, she danced for her knight, to give him hope even when she was saddened that they couldn't be together. And with that hope, the man began to write her a story that would turn her back into a girl._

 _And although he did not know what turned her into a girl the first time, he used his power, his hope, and his love to turn her back into the girl she so longed to be. And as he wrote his love for the girl, magic surrounded the duck and turned her back into a girl, not for three days, but for forever._

Instantly, magic surrounded the duck and she, painlessly, turned back into a human and called for her knight, who abandoned his story as he ran to her and held her. They would not let go of the other and the duck cried in absolute joy for she had feared that she would never hold her knight again.

"I love you." She said to him.

"I love you, too." He pulled back and smiled down at her as he kissed her and they lived happily ever after, like the characters in his book.

The End.

 **~~~~Author's note~~~** Hi! Thanks for reading the story and if you're wondering why I only gave Drosselmeyer one sence and didn't bring him back up again is because he's just like an evil fairy godmother who brings tragedy into Ahiru's life instead of goodness and like the fairy godmother who is never mentioned again, he doesn't come back, and it's safe to assume that he was just there to make Ahiru's sad life more tragic, in case you were wondering.


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